Realizations at the Wedding
by corruptone
Summary: Albus and Minerva discover that their old love still holds true at Lily and James' wedding. A MM/AD oneshot. :


A/N- my second fic, and as always MMAD coz it's true love! Anyway, it's not brilliant but I like it. Please R&R, I'd appreciate it ever so much! 

Disclaimer: I wish it were mine but sadly...nope!

Dedication: To my friend, Caitie (dramioneconsumesmylife)! Who (finally) published her first fic and I am still ever so proud of her!

A bouquet of vibrant red and white roses soared through the air, screams of excitement issued from the mouths of a pack of young woman who groped the air, trying desperately to place just a finger on the flowers, to gain just a quarter of the happiness that Lily Evans had from finding James Potter. The flowers continued to fly through the air, landing with a soft thud on a middle aged witch's lap.

_What the hell was that? _Thought Minerva McGonagall, her attention finally drawn away from the heart shaped mark on her finger nail she had been inspecting with great interest, her only form of entertainment while all the happy couples danced. Looking down, she saw the cause of the break in her attention and laughed mirthlessly, as if politely acknowledging a terrible joke, her expression cold and yet oddly amused, _a bunch of roses? Oh, that'll get his attention, _Minerva sighed, _after all these years… oh yes he'll sweep me off my feet because of a bouquet, _she concluded, barley containing an audible snort.

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Minerva hadn't always been so cynical. When she was a young witch, or to be precise, a boisterous and beautiful yet above all intelligent 7th year at Hogwarts (with a crush on a certain handsome Professor) she had thought of love like only the young and foolishly romantic can, as a great adventure, a magical journey and of course a bond between TWO people.

Minerva, intelligent as she was had neglected to think about what happens when love is not reciprocated, well, she didn't until the love her life slammed the door in her face when she had finally gathered the courage to visit his office in the dead of the night and rather nervously blurt out her feelings. Oh yes, that night had taught Minerva McGonagall a very valuable lesson, never show your emotions, never let your weaknesses be known and never ever put your heart on the line…it'll only get broken.

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_Ah, there she is, looking ever so despondent again, _Albus Dumbledore noted miserably as he spied Minerva, across the room, sitting in a chintz armchair flowers in her lap, a half-drunken glass of Champaign in her hand and her long raven curls spilling over her shoulders, _it's a wedding for Merlins sake, she should cheer up! _After all, his eyes lost their seductive twinkle whenever he saw his deputy stressed or upset. _Perhaps I ought to go talk to her…_

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_What is he staring at me like that, for? _Minerva thought, she found it unnerving to be stared at in such a way, by Albus. She worked with him everyday but that was as colleagues, completely professional, and working with him side by side so often did not prevent her from the little stab of passion she felt in her very soul, whenever she laid eyes on him, sometimes it seemed her longing was so strong that her legs might just give way. Yes, though he had rejected her when she put her heart in his hands, it didn't mean she had ever stopped loving him, she opted instead to become the strict, no-nonsense Transfigurations mistress when the post was offered to her by Armando Dippet, the then Headmaster.

She was about stand up and go to the restroom, her emotions beginning to becoming a little to strong for her to keep contained under her stern façade, when she noticed Albus approaching, a serious look on his face. _Crap, _she thought, _composure, composure, composure... don't let him see you hurt...don't let him see you hurt. _

"Good evening, my dear Minerva"

"Albus", she replied curtly, trying to keep all emotion from her voice and wanting desperately to run away from the whole situation.

"Now, Minerva" he said still serious, taking a seat in an armchair next to her, "me, being the brilliant mind I am, think that you need to cheer up a little" her face still remained as unreadable as stone, "so", he continued "I propose, we leave the wedding-"

"But, James-"

"James and Lily won't mind us departing the festivities a little early" he told her before continuing "so, I propose you and I go and have some fun with what remains of this beautiful summers day."

Minerva considered for a moment, her insides seemed to be on fire. _What was he offering? What did he expect, for them to go and frolic on the beach?_ Minerva didn't think she had the emotional strength necessary to spend a day with the love her life, pretending to be just, friends or worse than that, just colleagues.

"Oh, thank you for the offer Albus", she countered, emerald eyes meeting twinkling blue ones over two pairs of spectacles, _Oh god, he's giving me that look, that look he used to give me as a student…the one…the one made me fall in love with him, _she reminisced. "But, I…"

"Minerva" he said leaning in close to her, his hand now resting on her shoulder, his face close to hers and his voice shaky, yet seductive. _Oh god, _she thought, as the passion and love in her chest seemed to swell over her entire being, she no longer had control over her body, succumbing for the first time ever to the weakness she felt whenever near him.

Minerva McGonagall, the ever so strict, proper and brave head of Gryffindor house, simply broke down. Allowing all her built up feelings of hurt, love and longing to spill over for all the world to see for the first time since she had been a love spurned 17 year old. She broke down in floods of tears and frame racking sobs, her body flopping into the ready arms of her lost love, Albus Dumbledore.

Albus held her patiently, stroking her back and hair while she sobbed into his long silver beard. Minerva seemed almost disoriented she was so lost of her usual uptight demeanour, and she clung desperately to Albus' robes occasionally looking up into his concerned eyes, as he bundled her up into his arms and carried her to a quiet room off to the side of the hubbub of the wedding party.

"Albus…" she said, beginning to ramble, her eyes closed and her voice so soft and hoarse, she barely produced a whisper, "my love…I- I- need to…"

_Oh, this is my fault…but she couldn't possibly have held on to her feelings, all these years, _he thought. He had always held feelings for her, Minerva had been such a bright and spirited young woman (and she still was), it was impossible not to like her, anyone who met her would instantly take to her, _but damn it, _he sighed,_ it just wasn't possible, not with her being a student…she should have moved on…found a nice lad her own age._

Albus looked down into her dark emerald eyes, now bloodshot with tears as he lay her down on a cosy bed he transfigured from a tea-cup. _I have to make this up to her; I must show her how much I love her._

So, Albus Dumbledore summoned all of his Gryffindor courage, smoothed Minerva's (who was now staring intently into his eyes, not moving a muscle or saying a word) hair, cupped her deathly pale porcelain skinned chin his hand, leaned down and kissed her. Kissed her ever so gently yet with all the passion that years of longing had accumulated in him and he knew she felt every emotion he had put into the kiss.

Yes, he kissed her, after almost 30 years, he leant down and kissed her ever so gently yet ever so passionately on the lips while he held her upright in his arms and, after her initial surprise at being kissed (who wouldn't be after 30 years?) Minerva released all of her inhibitions and kissed him back, finally showing her true self, the one lost so many years ago in heartbreak, "Albus…" she said breathlessly when he finally brought his lips away and began tenderly stroking her cheek. "Yes, my love?"

"Oh, I have waited so long for you to call me that", she said smiling weakly into his great twinkling orbs.

"For me to call you what?"

"For you to call me your Love", she said simply, pulling herself up, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him spectacularly on the lips, their tongues entwined and their bodies collapsing onto the bed, each holding the other close.

Suddenly, Minerva felt something welling up inside her, something she hadn't felt ao strongly since she had been a giddy school girl with a crush on her Professor, oh, the old stab of passionate, longing love was back. Minerva McGongall was in love all over again, and this time she knew what it was like to be loved, whole heartedly, in return.

The end.


End file.
